Machine and method for sleeving valved bags



1954 M. A. SPEICHER E AL MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SLEEVING VALVED BAGS l4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 22, 1948 H n m we m N .1 E E 5 Ah r ha h ME hull 1954 M. A. SPEICHER ETAL MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SLEEVING VALVED BAGS Filed Nov. 22. 1948 14 Sheets-Sheet 2 W n w n M w a m y r n a E m m m 1 5 EE J1 S 09 Ah 2 U I h ME R \v 8 MN \N 3 90 as 8. E V

Nov. 9, 1954 sp c ETAL 2,693,741

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SLEEVING VALVED BAGS Filed Nov. 22, 1948 14 Sheets-Sheet 3 gvwwow Maiz A Epeichar Charles LEshlaman ATTOR N EY Nov. 9, 1954 M. A. SPEICHER E AL MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SLEEVING VALVED BAGS l4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 22, 1948 awe/Mow a: l: i? Matz A- Epeicher Charles LEshlEmEm.

ATTORNEY Nov. 9, I 954 M. A. SPEICHER ET AL 2,693,741

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SLEEVING VALVED BAGS Filed Nov. 22, 1948 14 Shee ts-Sheet 5 Matz .Lipeicher ATTOR N EY Nov. 9, 1954 M. A. SPEICHER ETAL 2,693,741

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SLEEVING VALVED BAGS Filed Nov. 22, 1948 14 Sheets-Sheet 6 Hg- 51- Mm A5 EiEhEr Charles LEshlen-Lan ATTORNEY 1954 M. A. SPEICHER ETAL MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SLEEVING VALVED BAGS l4 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed NOV. 22, 1948 Matz A. Spei ch EI Charlie s LEshl a man ATi'oRNEY Nov. 9, 1954 M. A. SPEICHER ET AL MACHINE. AND METHOD FOR SLEIEVING VALVED BAGS l4 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Nov. 22, 1948 Matz A- Eipeicher Charla Ilshleman ATTORNEY Nov. 9, 1954 M A. SPEICHER ET AL MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SLEEVING VALVED BAGS l4 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Nov. 22, 1948 Matz A- Epeicher EhHTlES I- Eshleman ATTORNEY Nov. 9, 1954 M. A. SPEICHER ET AL MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SLEEVING VALVED BAGS l4 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed Nov. 22, 1948 Charles I- Eshleman ATTORNEY Nov. 9, 1954 M. A. SPEICHER ET AL MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SLEEVING VALVEZD BAGS Filed Nov. 22, 1948 14 Sheets-Sheet ll FEE grwmfm' Natz A- 5 either,

Charles Ilshleman ATTORNEY 1954 M. A. SPEICHER ET AL 2,693,741

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SLEEVING VALVED BAGS l4 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed NOV. 22, 1948 gwuem tow n ra E mm .1 m E S in m M h ATTORNEY Nov. 9, 1954 M. A. SPEICHER T MACHINE AND mzmon FOR sLEBvING VALVED BAGS Filed Nov. 22. 1948 14 Sheets-Sheet l3 9 3 2 I 2 u V|\ A a 2 a H 4 a awe/whom Matz A- 5 Either ATTORNEY Nov. 9, 1954 M. A. SPEICHER ET AL 2,6 3,741

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SLEEVING VALVED BAGS Filed Nov. 22, 1948 14 Sheets-Sheet l4 I m, A

o r o 252- gwuQ/wto'w Matz A Speicher,

Charles 1. E shlamam ATTORNEY United States Patent MACHINE AND METHOD FOR SLEEVING VALVED BAGS Matz A. Speicher, Wellsburg, and Charles I. Eshleman, Wheeling, W. Va., assignors to Rest Machines, Inc., Wheeling, W. Va.

Application November 22, 1348, Serial No. 61,445

19 Claims. (Cl. 938) This invention relates to bag-making machines, and more particularly to a machine for inserting a sleeve in the valve of a valved bag.

It is now customary to package units of granular or powdered material, such as sugar, flour, cement and fertilizer, in lots of given weights, such as 100 lbs., in multi-layer paper bags that are provided with a sleeved valve in one corner to facilitate the filling and emptying and to prevent sifting of the bags. The so-called valve in these bags consists of an opening formed by turning in one of the corner edges of the top of a bag. A sleeve composed of a rectangular sheet is then folded over and inserted in the folded-in corner, with its inner end folded around the edge of the folded-in corner and its outer end extending laterally beyond the edge of the bag for a short distance.

The longitudinal edges of the sleeve, when in position, substantially coincide with and form a continuation of the top edges of the bag. When the sleeve is in position, the bag is then closed by sewing across thetop of the bag and along the length of the sleeve, a closing strip preferably being folded over the top edges of the bag and the sleeve before the sewing operation. The free end of the sleeve may then be opened to admit a filling machine nozzle for the admission of a given quantity of material into the bag, and the bag is then closed by folding the free end of the sleeve over and tucking it into the corner notch formed by the valve in the bag.

At the present time, the manufacture of these bags is effected completely by machinery, with the exception of the insertion of the sleeve into the valve. The industry has machines for automatically making the bag, for folding in the corner of the bag to form the valve, and for sealing the bag after the sleeve has been inserted in the valve. The insertion of the sleeve into the valve, however, is effected by hand labor. sequentiy, this particular step in forming the bag has been very costly in proportion to the other steps of manufacture.

Therefore, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a machine for automatically inserting sleeves into valve bags.

It is another object of the invention to provide a machine for automatically forming individual sleeves from a long strip and then inserting the individual sleeves into valved bags.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a machine that has simplicity of design, economy of construction and efficient in operation.

Other incidental objects will become apparent from the subsequent description.

The foregoing objects and others ancillary thereto are, preferably, accomplished in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, by a machine having a pair of opposed gripper rolls adapted to grip the opposite top edges of a bag to open the bag to spread and flatten the valve-forming fold, means for forming, pasting, folding and securing a sleeve to the valve portion while it is flattened by the gripper rolls, means for feeding and removing bags to and from said gripper rolls, and means for folding and smoothing the sleeved valve as the bags are withdrawn from the gripper rolls.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof,

Con-

will best be understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of a machine in accord ance with the present invention, parts being shown in cross section or diagrammatically or being omitted to effect a more complete understanding of themachi-ne;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing the bag-handling mechanism of the machine in side elevation; I

Figure 3 is a front view in elevation, parts being omitted for better illustration of the bag-handling mecharusm;

Figure 4 is a side view in elevation corresponding to Figure 2 of the complete machine;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line 5--5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a side view in elevation of one of the bag-gripper rolls;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 77 of. Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view in perspective of the gripper rolls supporting a spread bag with its valve portion in flattened position;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary side view in elevation of the bag-separating member in cooperative position with respect to the gripper rolls;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary detailed view in perspective of a bag-separating member;

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic view in perspective of the sleeve-forming and applying means;

Figure 12 is an enlarged detailed view of the pasteapplying means;

Figure 13 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the paste-applying mechanism;

Figure 14 is an inside face view of ing mechanism shown in Figure 8;

Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 1515 of Figure 1 and showing the sleeve-applying mechanism;

Figure 16 is a top mechanism;

Figure 17 is a fragmentary top plan view of the sleeveapplying mechanism in relation to the gripper rolls;

Figure 18 is a diagrammatic view in perspective of the sleeve-applying mechanism and the operating means therefor;

Figure 19 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view in detail of one of the connecting elements between the sleeve applying mechanism and its drive means;

Figures 20 through 25 are schematic views illustrating the movements of a bag through the machine;

Figures 26 through 30 are fragmentary diagrammatic views in perspective of the sleeve-applying mechanism;

Figure 31 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a completed sleeved bag valve;

Figure 32 is a fragmentary side view in elevation of the smoothing rolls;

Figure 33 is an end view in smoothing roll;

Figure 34 is a fragmentary view in elevation of a modified reversible drive similar to that shown in Figure 5 Figure 35 is an edge view in elevation of the drive cam of Figure 34;

Figure 36 is a fragmentary side view in elevation of a modification of the rack of the reversible drive;

Figure 37 is a fragmentary side view in elevation of a modified form of dart head;

Figure 38 is a side view in elevation of a modified dart construction incorporating the head shown in Figure 37;

Figure 39 is a side view in elevation of a modified clamp for the bag gripper rolls;

Figure 40 is a diagrammatic view in perspective of a cam operated mechanism for actuating the modified clamp structure shown in Figure 39;

Figure 41 is a front view in elevation of a sleeve drive adjacent the cutting station;

the sleeve-applyplan view of the sleeve-applying elevation of the upper Figure 42 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4242 of Figure 41;

Figure 43 is a side view in elevation of an upper sleeve drive roller shown in Figure 41;

Figure 44 is a side view in elevation of a lower sleeve roller shown in Figure 41;

Figure 45 is a top plan view of a modified form of isileeve folding blade and incorporating a valve hold-down nger;

Figure 46 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 46-46 of Figure 45;

Figure 47 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of Figure 46 to show parts in different relation;

Figure 48 is a fragmentary side view in elevation of valve and sleeve hold-down springs carried by the creasing blade in operative position;

Figures 49, 50 and 51 are fragmentary top plan views of the modified folding blade shown in Figure 45 and illustrating the operation of the blade; and

Figure 52 is a view in perspective of the modified folding blade and valve hold-down arm.

Referring now to the drawings, specifically to Figures l3, the present invention comprises a machine, including a main frame 1 supporting a source of power, such as an electric motor 2, and a main drive shaft 3 that is driven from the motor 2 as by a chain 4 extending around a motor sprocket 5 and a drive shaft sprocket 6. A feed table 7 extends rearwardly from the frame 1 and is adapted to receive valve bags B, one at a time, for feeding to the machine.

The table 7 is provided with side rails 8, between which the bags B are positioned, and a longitudinal slot 9 to accommodate a bag pick-up lug 10 carried by an endless chain 11. The chain 11 is trained about a pair of sprockets 12 and 13, the latter of which is co-mounted on a shaft 14 with a sprocket 15 which is connected by a chain 16 to a sprocket 17 fixed on an auxiliary drive shaft 18 that is in turn driven through its sprocket 19 by a chain 20 that is trained about a sprocket 21 on the main drive shaft 3.

The table 7 is provided with a pair of transversely spaced openings 22 for the reception of the upper peripheries by a pair of drive rolls 23 which are mounted on the auxiliary drive shaft 18. Corresponding opposed drive rolls 23' and 23", are respectively mounted on floating shafts 18' and 18" immediately above and below the supply rolls 23. A gear 24 is fixed to the auxiliary drive shaft 18 and meshes with gears 24' and 24" respectively on the upper and lower shafts 18 and 18".

The upper and lower shafts 18' and 18 are resiliently biased toward the auxiliary drive shaft 18 by spring mountings 25 and 25' respectively, so that the three sets of superimposed rolls are in peripheral engagement or spring biased against a bag between the adjacent rolls. The rolls 23 have their upper peripheries extending through the openings 22 to be positioned substantially at or very slightly above the level of the table 7 to readily accommodate the leading edge of a bag B as it is moved along the table 7 by the pick-up member 10.

The rolls 23 are driven in a direction so that their upper peripheries move forwardly and in the same direction as the member If), whereas the rolls 23 and 23 are respectively driven in the opposite direction. A pair of superimposed feed rolls and 30 are spaced in front of the drive rolls 23 and 23 and at the same level. The feed rolls 30 are mounted on a fixed shaft 31, whereas the superimposed feed rolls 30 are mounted on a floating shaft 31 that is biased by a spring mounting 32 toward the shaft 31.

As best seen in Figure 3, the fixed shaft 31 carries a gear 33 that meshes with a gear 33 that is fixed to the shaft 31'. The fixed shaft 31 is reversibly driven by means of a gear 34 which is in engagement with a rack 35 that is carried by a cam follower 36 which is operated by a cam 37 mounted on the main drive shaft 3. The cam follower 36 is moved back and forth by the cam 37 and carries with it the rack 35 which drives the gear 34 and shaft 31 in reverse directions.

A pair of superimposed gripper rolls 40 and 40' are respectively mounted on shafts 41 and 41' immediately in front of the feed rolls 30 and 30' which feed and withdraw the bags B to and from the gripper rolls 40 and 40'. The gripper rolls 4i) and 40' are driven in opposite directions by intermeshing gears 42 and 42 which are fixed to their shafts 41 and 41' respectively. The gripper rolls 4t) and 40 are also reversibly driven by a mechanism similar to the reversible drive for the feed rolls 30 and 30'. A gear 34 is fixed to the shaft 41 and is engaged by a rack bar 35 that is carried by a cam follower 36 that cooperates with a cam 37' that is also fixed on the main drive shaft 3.

The organization of the reversible drive for the gripper rolls is best shown in Figure 5, wherein it will be seen that the cam follower 36 comprises an elongated guide loop 43 surrounding a guide roller 44 journaled on the main drive shaft 3. A cam following pin 45 is carried at one end of the loop 43 to ride in a cam groove 46 formed in the face of the cam 37'. The cam groove 46 may be provided with any desirable configuration that will impart the desired movement and dwells to the rack bar 35.

Whereas the rack bar 35, follower 36 and cam 37 are identical to the construction illustrated in Figure 5, but on the reverse side of the cam 37, the cam groove in the cam 37 will be of different configuration to the groove 46 in the cam 37' because it is necessary to impart a longer period of movement through the rack bar 35 to the feed rolls 30 and 30' than that required for the gripper rolls 40 and 40'. The rack bars are preferably guided in their contact with their respective gears by yokes 47 and 47', respectively, that extend around the top and sides of the bars and down the sides of the gears.

The gripper rolls 40 and 49' carry grippers or clamps 50 and 50, respectively, as best shown in Figures 2, 6 and 7. These gripper rolls and clamps are identical with the exception that they are in reverse relationship, and, for simplicity, only the roll 40' is shown in Figures 6 and 7. The clamp 50 is carried by a reduced portion 51 of a bar 52 that is slidably mounted diametrically of the roll 40', the reduced portion 51 extending through a slot 51' in the peripheral flange 40a of the roll 40'. The bar 52 has a series of slots 53 surrounding and slidable upon a coi lrasponding series of bolts 54 that are carried by the to t).

The bar 52 also includes a looped portion 55 having a slot 55' for freely surrounding the roll hub 40b to permit diametric movement thereof. A cup or other member 56 is carried by the bar for the reception of or abutment by a spring 57 that engages the inner periphery of the roll 40' to bias the bar 52 inwardly with the clamp 50' in engagement with the outer surface of the roll 40'. A cam following roller 58 is carried by the bar 52 for engagement with a cam 59 that is iournalled on the hub 40b. The cam 59 is provided with a hump 60 and an arm 61 extending radially for fixing the cam hump 60 in angular relationship.

As the roll 40 is reversibly driven by the shaft 41, the spring 57 will tend to bias a clamp 50' against the periphery of the roll 40'. However, when the roller 58 abuts the cam hump 69, the bar 52 is forced outwardly against the spring 57 and the clamp 50 is spaced from the roll 40' to release and receive the edge of a bag B. In order to regulate the opening of the clamp 50 at a proper angle of movement by the roll 40', the arm 61 of the cam 59 is. preferably, adjustably secured to a bracket 62 supported by the frame 1. The bracket 62 has a slot 63 for the longitudinally adiustable reception of a bolt 64 carried by the arm 61 to vary the angular position of the arm 61 and the cam hump 60.

The feed rolls 30, 30', and the gripper rolls 40, 40 are driven in the same direction simultaneously by their reversible drives through the racks 35, 35'. Thus, the feed rolls 30, 30 receive the forward end of a bag B from the drive rolls 23, 23' and feed the bag forwardly to the gripper rolls 4t}, 40'. The feed rolls 30, 30 start their forward movement before the gripper rolls 40, 40 so that the gripper rolls are still stationary with their clamps 50, 50 open and in substantially abutting relationship, due to the cam humps 60, as best shown in Figures 2 and 9.

This position of the gripper rolls 40, 40' and clamps 50, 5f) constitutes their feeding position or station, in which the clamps are adapted to receive the forward or top edges of the bag B. At the moment that the forward edges of the bag are inserted into the clamps, the rack 35' initiates the forward movement of the gripper rolls 40, 40 so that the rolls are then driven in the same direction and at substantially the same speed as the feed rolls 30, 30'. As soon as the gripper rolls 40, 40 move,

the clamps 50, 50 are closed, by moving off the cam hump 60, and grip the edges of the bag.

The gripper rolls 40, 40' and feed rolls 30, 30 are driven forwardly until the clamps 50, 50' are respectively positioned substantially on the horizontal planes of the axes of their rolls. T his movement separates the edges of the bag B and it is opened thereby, the inward fold V, forming the valve, being spread out in a substantially flat condition, as best shown in Figure 8. This is the sleeving position of the gripper rolls 40, 40' as the valve flap V is flattened in a substantially vertical plane and adapted to receive a sleeve.

After a sleeve has been applied to the flap V, the reversible drive of the racks 35, 35 is initiated and the gripper rolls 40, 40' and feed rolls 30, 30' are rotated in the opposite direction, back of the feeding station or position, whereupon the bag B is released by the clamps 50, 50' and the movement of the gripper rolls 40, 40 is stopped, while the drive of the feed rolls 3t), 30 is continued until the bag is discharged therefrom.

During the forward movement of the bag B by the gripper rolls 40, 40', its rear edge passes beyond the forward edge of the table 7 and by gravity drops below the level of the table 7. When the movement of the bag B is reversed, it drops to a lower guide 65, which directs it to the drive rolls 23, 23", and these latter rolls withdraw the bag from the machine and discharge it to a suitable receiving means, as shown in Figure l.

The drive of the feed rolls 30, 30' and the drive rolls 23, 23' is correlated through the main drive shaft 3 and auxiliary drive shaft 18 with the drive of the pick-up member so that this member is moved in timed relation with the feed rolls 30, 30'. The pick-up member 10 is adapted to move a bag B forwardly to the drive rolls 23, 23 which will continue to move the bag forwardly so that the front edge of the bag will reach the feed rolls 30, 30' at substantially the moment, or iurt prior thereto, of reversal of the drive of the feed rolls 38. 30.

Consequently, a bag placed on the table 7 will be picked up and moved forwardly by the pick-up member 10, so that the bag may be gripped and fed forwardly by the feed rolls 30, 30 immediately upon the initiation of the forward movement of the feed rolls. Bv this timing between the pick-up 10 and feed rolls 30. 30', the bag will be fed to the gripper rolls 40, 40 and their clamps 50, 50' while the gripper rolls are at the feeding station with the clamps open.

As shown in Figures 6 and 9, the clamps 50, 50' are tapered at their forward edges to define narrow leading edges 66, 66. The taper of the edges 66, 66' is such that when the rolls 40, 40' are at their feeding station with the clamps 50, 50 open, the tapered surfaces of the leading edges 66, 66' will substantially abut. In this position, the leading edges 66, 66 jointly form a point 67 for separating the top ed es of the bag B as the bag is fed forwardly by the feed rolls.

Due to the fact that the bags B comprise several layers of paper, however, it is possible for the point 67 to separate the layers of paper rather than the sides of the bag. Accordingly, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, a dart 68 having a pointed head 69 and a forwardly protruding blade 70 is provided for separating the folded edges of the valve V and thereby bias the top edges of the bag B apart and guide them into the clamps 50, 50'. As shown in Figures 2 and 15, the dart 68 is carried by a gear segment 71 that is journaled on a pin 72 which is carried by the gripper roll 40. Gear segment 71 meshes with a gear segment 73 that is mounted around the shaft 41 and fixed to the frame 1 by brackets 74.

Thus, as the gripper roll 40 is rotated, the dart 68 is carried therewith by the pin 72 and is itself rotated about the pin 72 by the inter-engaging gear segments 71 and 73. By this arrangement, the dart head 69 is moved rapidly to and from the feeding station to avoid interference with the movement of the bag B as it is carried forward or being withdrawn by the gripper rolls 40, 40'. The gripper rolls 40, 40' are each provided with a dished portion 75, 75' between its side and periphery and adjacent the clamps 50, 50' to accommodate the dart head 69 and the separated folds V of the bag B.

Simultaneous with the feeding of the bags B to and from the sleeving station, the machine is adapted to form individual sleeves from a sleeve strip and apply the sleeves to the valve portion V at the sleeving station. Referring now to Figures 1, 4 and 11, a roll R of sleeve strip S may conveniently be mounted on a bracket 80 extending lat erally from the frame 1. The sleeve strip S passes from the roll R to a guide roller 81 and along the length of an auxiliary frame 82 which is fixed to the side of the frame 1.

The sleeve strip S extends from the roller 81 around a guide plate 83 and behind a pair of spaced platen-forming rollers 84 to a between a pair of draw rolls 85 and 85. As the strip S passes the platen rollers 84, it is periodieally engaged by paste-applying wipers 86 which are carried by a roll 87. The paste-applying wipers 86 are spaced on the roll 87 and the latter is rotated in accordance with the movement of the sleeve strip S so as to apply a strip of paste to only one sleeve area at a time.

The wipers 86 are supplied with paste by engagement with a paste drum 88 housed within a paste pan 89 carried by the auxiliary frame 82. The roll 87 is positioned relative to the platen rollers 84 so that the wipers 86 engage the sleeve strip S at a point therebetween, and the paste-applying edge of the wipers 86 will move through a plane coinciding with or slightly within the plane of the platen rollers 84. Consequently, the wipers 86 will positively engage the surface of the sleeve strip S without undue pressure that would smear the paste because the strip may give slightly between the platen rollers 84.

It is desirable that the strip of paste applied to the sleeve strip be relatively narrow, and in practice, it has been found that a paste strip of about one-eighth of an inch in width is most satisfactory. In order to accomplish this, the wipers 86, as best shown in Figure 12, constitute a thin strip of material, preferably rubber, which has a paste-applying edge 90 that is cut by a plurality of spaced slots 91 which individually open into circular apertures 92.

It has been found that in contacting the paste drum 88, the paste-applying edge 90 may pick up an excess of paste which will flow into the slots 91 and be stored in the apertures 92 to maintain a supply of paste to be applied to the sleeve strip. Conversely, upon contacting the sleeve strip, the wipers 86 are slightly compressed, which causes a squeezing of the paste from the apertures 92 and through the slots 91 to the edge 90 to be applied thereby to the sleeve strip. As the paste is applied to the sleeve strip in a vertical plane, the fluid paste tends to flow down the edge 90, but this flow is interrupted by the slots 91, so that an even quantity of paste is applied throughout the height of the strip S.

In order to supply paste to the wipers drum 80 must also be vertical, as best shown in Figure 13. To provide an even supply of paste to the drum, it has been found that the upper end 93 of the drum 88 may be cupped to receive a supply of paste from a supply tube 94. The paste overflows from the cup 93 evenly around the top edges and down the sides of the drum 88, so that the entire periphery of the drum has an equal supply of paste. The paste flows down the drum 88 and is collected in the bottom of the paste pan 89 to be withdrawn by a discharge pipe 95. The paste is delivered by the pipe 95 to a tank 96, from which it is withdrawn through a pipe 97 by a pump 98 and fed thereby back through the supply pipe 94, as best shown in Figure 4.

As the bottom of the paste pan 89 may become filled with paste, the lower bearing for the paste drum 88 must be elevated. This is accomplished by providing the drum 88 at its lower end with an axial recess 99 which fits around an upstanding sleeve 100 fixed to the bottom of the paste pan 89 and adapted to support a bearing 101 at its top for the accommodation of the drum shaft 182. The top of the upstanding sleeve 100 is spaced above the bottom of the pan 89 a distance greater than the normal level of the collected paste in pan 89. The upper end of the shaft 102 extends upwardly from the center of the overflow cup 93 and is journaled in a bearing 103 mounted on top of the paste pan 89.

The draw roll 85 is provided with axially extending grooves 104 in spaced relationship in its periphery. These grooves 104 are of a size and spacing to straddle the strip of paste on the sleeve strip S. In actual practice, two of the grooves 104 are positioned diametrically in the roll 85. In addition, two of the paste wipers 86 are positioned diametrically of the roll 87. The rolls 85 and 87 are arranged so that their grooves 104 and wipers 86 are angularly coincident on their respective axes and these rolls are driven in timed relationship.

Furthermore, it is necessary that the sleeve strip be advanced intermittently to permit the application of the 86, the paste ultimately formed individual sleevestothe valves V at the sleeving station. -Consequently, the drive for the sleeve mechanism, as best shown in Figures 1 and 4, is taken from the auxiliary drive shaft 18 by means of a bevel gear 105 which engages a complementary bevel gear 106 that is fixed on a vertical shaft 107 which is journaled in the auxiliary frame 82. The vertical shaft 107 carries a Geneva pin 108 for cooperation with a Geneva gear 109 that is fixed to a second vertical shaft 110.

A chain 112 is trained about a sprocket 111 on the shaft 110 and about a sprocket 113 fixed on the shaft 114 of the draw roll 85, as bestshown in Figure 4. A gear 116 is fixed on the draw roll shaft 114 and. engages a gear 116' on the shaft 114 of the draw roll 85', and also engages an idler gear 117 on an idler shaft 118. The idler gear 117 engages a gear 119 on the shaft 120 of the paste-applying roll 87 and the gear 119 engages a gear 121 on the paste drum shaft 102. Thus, the draw rolls 85, 85, the paste-applying roll 87 and the paste drum 88 are intermittently driven by the Geneva gear 109, and the paste straddling draw roll '85 and the paste-applying roll 87 are driven in the same direction and at the same speed through the idler gear 117.

In addition to the axial groove 104,'the draw roll 85 is also provided with a centrally positioned annular groove 122, and the draw roll 85 is provided with a centrally positioned annular blade 123 to nest within the groove 122. As the sleeve strip S passes between these draw rolls 85, 85', the blade 123 will impress the sleeve strip into the groove 122 and form a scored line centrally of the sleeve strip S along its length to facilitate the folding of the ultimate sleeve when it is applied to the valve V.

Whereas the roll 85 is preferably a solid roller, due to the fact that the sleeve strip passes around it, the draw roller 85' need not be solid but may comprise three spaced discs, as shown, as its sole function isto score the sleeve strip and to provide the necessary friction between the sleeve strip and the draw roller 85. Consequently, the draw roller 85' is, preferably, adjustably mounted by bolts 124 and spring mountings (not shown) to be resiliently biased toward the draw roller 85.

The sleeve strip S is turned at right angles by the draw rolls 85, 85 to be fed across the front of the machine to the sleeving station, as best shown in'Figures 1, l1, l4 and 15. From the draw rolls 85, 85' the sleeve strip extends through a fixed guide 125 to a cutting station 126. A stationary blade 127 is fixed to the end of the stationary guide 125 at the cutting station 126, and a movable blade 128 is mounted opposite the fixed blade 127. The movable blade is periodically operated to cut the sleeve strip S into individual sleeves. Beyond the cutting station 126, the sleeve strip S passes to a second fixed guide 129 which supports the individual sleeve at the sleeving station.

Referring now to Figures 14 and 15, it will be seen that the fixed sleeve guide 129 is rigidly supported by an upright frame 130 that is spaced in front of the frame 1 by brackets 131. The guide 129 is positioned with its outer edge 132 immediately in front of the edge of the valve V when it is spread in sleeving position by the rolls 40, 40. Immediately in front of the edge 132 and in the same plane is a folding blade 133 that is fixed to the diametrical face of a semicircular half shaft portion 134 of a shaft 135 that is journaled in bearings 136 supported by the upright frame 130.

The fixed guide 129 is provided with guide channels 137 at its upper and lower edges, and these guide channels terminate in spaced relation with the edge 132 to accommodate gripper pads 138 carried by arms 139 which are fixed to a vertical shaft 140 journaled in bearings 141 that are also supported by the upright frame 130. At each movement of the draw rolls 85, 85', the leading edge of the sleeve strip is advanced from the cutting station 126, between the fixed guides 125 and 129, to a position approximately overlying the free edge of the flolding blade 133, as indicated in broken lines in Figure The sleeve strip is advanced to this position while the bag B is being moved by the gripper rolls 40, 40 from the receiving station to the sleeving station. As soon as the valve V is flattened at the sleeving station, as shown in Figures 8 and 15, the advance of the sleeve strip S is completed. Substantially simultaneously the cutting blade 128 is moved to cut the individual sleeve from the strip and the gripper pads 138 are swung to engage the sleeve strip and clamp it against the guide 129. Immediately thereafter the shaft is rotated to swing the blade 133 around behind the edge of the flattened valve V and thereby fold the end of the sleeve S around the edge of the valve V.

To accomplish this swinging action of the blade 133, the half segment 134 of the shaft 135 is actually slightly less than half of the shaft, so that the axis of the shaft lies substantially in the plane of the face of the guide 129 and the folding blade 133 and between the adjoining edges of the guide and blade. By this arrangement, the blade 133 passes through a revolving path rather than a strict rotation, and consequently, its position at the opposite points of its path lies in two distinct planes which are spaced substantially the thickness of the bag and the folded sleeve, as best shown in Figure 17.

As soon as the folding blade 133 is swung around to fold the end of the sleeve and lightly presses the folded edge of the sleeve against the inner surface of the valve to assure adherence of the paste on the sleeve to the valve, the rotation of the blade 133 is reversed and it is swung back to its initial position. The gripper pads 138 are then swung away from the guide 129 to release the sleeve, and the reverse movement of the gripper rolls 40, 40' is initiated.

Simultaneous with the reversal movement of the gripper rolls 40, 40, a horizontal creasing blade 142 moves through a slot 143 in the face of the guide 129 and abuts the sleeve along the line scored by the draw roll knife 123 to initiate the folding of the sleeve and the valve V along their centers. The creasing blade 142 is carried by a bar 144 that is supported by a rack bar 145 extending at right angles and mounted in a slideway 146 that is supported by the upright frame 130.

The sleeve-forming and folding mechanism is all operated in timed relation to the movement of the sleeve and the bag by a drive system from the vertical shaft 107 which is driven by the auxiliary shaft 18. The vertical shaft 107 (Fig. 4) carries a sprocket 150 which is connected by a chain 151 with a sprocket 152 that is fixed to a vertical shaft 153 mounted on the front end of the auxiliary frame 82. Therefore, the shaft 153 is constantly driven, whereas the sleeve handling mechanism is intermittently driven through the Geneva gear 109.

It may be noted that according to the arrangement shown, the constantly driven shaft 153 will rotate once for each individual sleeve. On the other hand, the intermittently driven shafts 120, 114 and 114' respectively carrying the paste applying roll 87 and the draw rolls 85, 85' rotate once for each two individual sleeves. In other words, they pass through one-half of a revolution during elach intermittent movement and for each individual s eeve.

A cam 154 on the constantly driven shaft 153 carries a trip finger 155 for operating a switch (not shown) that controls a solenoid 156 having a spring-biased core 157 that'carries the cutting blade 128 on an extension 158. Thus, as the constantly driven shaft 153 rotates in timed relation with the intermittent movement of the draw rolls 85, 85', the trip '155 engages and closes the switch to energize the solenoid 156 immediately upon the cessation of each intermittent movement of the sleeve strip S and draw rolls 85, 85'.

Simultaneously with, or even before, the operation of the cutting blade 128, the gripper pads 138 are moved to clamp the sleeve S in the guide 129, as best shown in Figures 14 to 18. The gripper pads 138 are operated by the shaft 140 through their arms 139 by a crank arm 160 fixed to the shaft 140, that is connected by a pin 160' with a rod 161 to a cam 162 fixed on the constantly rotatable shaft 153. The cam 162 may be in the form of a crank or the like, but preferably comprises an organization similar to the reversible cams for driving the feed and gripper rolls, wherein an enlarged loop on the end of the rod 161 surrounds the shaft 153 and carries a cam-following pin inserted in a cam groove in the face of the cam 162.

Immediately upon the clamping of the sleeve by the pads 138, the shaft 135 is rotated to swing the blade 133 to fold the end of the sleeve. The movement of the shaft 135 is effected by a gear 163 secured on its lower end in engagement with a rack 164 that moves through a shdeway 165 thatiismounted on the frame 130. This rack is connected by a pin 166 with a lever 167 pivoted on a pin 168 that is journaled in a bracket 169 that is mounted on the upright frame 130. The opposite end of the lever 167 is pivotally connected by a pin 170 with a rod 171 that is operatively connected at its opposite end with the cam 154 which carries the trip 155. The cam connection between the cam 154 and rod 171 preferably also comprises the same type of cam drive that has been previously described with respect to the cam 162 and the feed and gripper roll cams.

The cam 162 is arranged to pull the rod 161 to force the gripper pads 138 against the guide 129 to clamp the sleeve S and to hold that position while the cam 154 pulls the rod 171 to drive the rack 164 to revolve the folding blade 133 through its folding path and then back to its original position. When the folding blade 133 is returned to normal position, the cam 162 moves the rod 161 to swing the gripper pads 138 away from the guide 129 to free the sleeve.

Obviously, the movement of the gripper pads 138 and of the folding blade 133 must be carefully regulated or controlled to preclude excessive movement that would be damaging. It has been found that the easiest way to effect this control is to connect the rods 161 and 171 respectively with the crank 160 and lever 167 by resilient lost-motion members 185 which comprise, as best shown in Figure 19, a sleeve portion 186 closed at one end, from which an apertured ear 187 extends for the reception of the pivot pins 160' or 170. The end of the connecting rod 161 or 171 has a collar 188 fixed thereto and is inserted in the sleeve portion 186. A spring 189 surrounds the rod 161 or 171 for abutment at one end against the collar 188 and at the other by a sleeve 190 fixed to and closing the open end of the sleeve portion 186. Thus, when the rods 161 and 171 are pulled to operate the pads 138 and blade 133, any excessive movement is taken up by the springs 189.

Immediately upon the freeing of the sleeve, the creasing blade 142 is moved against the scored line of the sleeve to initiate the folding of the sleeve and valve. The creasing blade 142 is reciprocally moved by its slide rack. 145 which engages a gear 172 that is fixed on a shaft 173 that is journaled in bearings 174 in the slideway 146 and a bearing 175 supported by the upright frame 130. The gear 172 is mounted on the shaft 173 within the slideway 146.

A gear 176 is fixed to the upper end of the shaft 173 and is engaged by a curved rack 177 which is carried on the end of a lever 178 that is pivoted by a pin 179 on the main frame and carries at its opposite end a camfollowing roller 180 that cooperates with a cam 181 mounted on the constantly driven shaft 153 and carrying a cam hump 182. The lever 178 is normally biased to one extreme of its movement by an integral arm 183 that is anchored by a spring 184 to the main frame 1. Thus, as the cam 181 rotates, its hump 182 will engage the follower 180 and pivot the arm 178 to swing the rack 177 and move the creasing blade 142 forwardly against the sleeve and then immediately retract the blade 142 by the action of the spring 184 upon the passage of the cam hump 182 past the follower 180.

Simultaneous with the operation of the creasing blade 142, the gripper rolls 40, 40' are started through their reverse movement from the sleeving station to the feed ing station to withdraw and discharge the sleeved bag and receive the succeeding bag. As the bag is withdrawn by the feed rolls 30, 30' from the gripper rolls 40, 40', the edges of the bag are moved together by the clamps 50, 50 and the folds of the valve V and sleeve S are flattened.

As the bag is withdrawn, the flattened folds of the valve V and sleeve S are smoothed as the bag leaves the gripper rolls 40, 40. The folds of the bag are first lightly smoothed by a pair of small rollers 191, 191' that are supported adjacent the feeding station of the gripper rolls 40, 40' by a pair of brackets 192, 192 that are mounted on the frame 1, as best shown in Figures l3. The bracket 192 is rigidly fixed to the frame 1 so that the roller 191 is stationarily positioned. The bracket 192 is pivotally mounted on the frame 1, however, so that the roller 191' may move vertically relative to the roller 191. The bracket 192 is journaled on a pin 193 and its free end is adjustable by a set screw 194 threadcdly mounted on the frame.

After the bag folds are lightly smoothed by passing between the rollers 191, 191, it is then finally smoothed as it passes through and is discharged from the feed rolls 30, 30' by a pair of smoothing rolls 195, 195' that are coaxially mounted with the feed rolls 30, 30' on the shafts 31, 31', as best shown in Figures l-3. The smoothing rolls 195, 195 are slightly smaller in diameter than the feed rolls 30, 30 to accommodate the thickness of the folds. In addition, the smoothing roll 195' is frictionally driven to permit slippage and prevent jamming.

As best shown in Figures 32 and 33, the smoothing roll 195 is in fixed relation to its shaft 31, whereas the roll 195' has a central bore 196 that freely surrounds its shaft 31' and permits movement relative thereto and thereby accommodating variations in the thickness of the bag and valve folds. The roll 195' has an end face 197 for frictionally engaging a clutch element 198 carried by the adjacent feed roll 30. The roll 195' is biased toward the clutch elements 198 by an end plate 199 fixed on the shaft 31' and which supports springs 200 that are seated in sockets 201 in the adjacent end of the roll 195. Thus the springs 200 bias the roll 195 against the clutch element 198 and also tend to form a driving connection with the roll 195. Therefore, the smoothing rolls, through the resilient friction drive and variation in spacing, permit a certain amount of slippage relative to the bag therebetween. With bags of certain kinds of paper, the spring 200 may be eliminated and the weight of the roll 195 by hollowing it out and filling with lead. This creates a certain amount of drag and effects an ironing of the bag folds.

As the operation of the individual elements of the machine has been set forth in conjunction with the description thereof, the following rsum of the operation will be limited to the broad functioning of the machine to more clearly point out the specific steps performed by the machine as well as the timed relation of these steps. Referring first to the bag handling mechanism, reference will be made to the schematic diagrams of Figures 20 to 25, and secondly, to the sleeve handling mechanism, reference will be made to Figures 11 and 26 to 30, the final sleeved bag being shown in Figure 31.

Referring to Figure 20, a bag B1 is at the sleeving station, it having had a sleeve attached to its valve, and the creasing blade 142 is about to be operated and the feed rolls 30, 30' and gripper rolls 40, 40 are stationary, but are about to be started in their reverse movement. A bag B2 has been placed by the operator on the feed table 7 and is awaiting the pick-up member 10. The pick-up 10 and drive rolls 23, 23', 23" are constantly driven, whereas the fed rolls 30, 30' and gripper rolls 40, 40' are reversibly driven with intermediate stationary periods but with the feed rolls 30, 30 having longer drive periods than the gripper rolls 40, 40' and without an actual stationary period when discharging and receiving bags as they are immediately reversed.

Referring now to Figure 21, it will be seen that the parts and bags are in substantially the same position as in Figure l. The feed rolls 30, 30 and gripper rolls 40, 40 are in their reverse movements and are withdrawing the bag B1, the creasing blade 142 having moved forward and is about to be retracted. The sleeved valve V of the bag B1 is being folded and the dart 68 is being moved toward the feeding station. Meanwhile, the pick-up 10 has picked up the bag B2 and fed it to the drive rolls 23, 23' to start another cycle of the bag handling mechanism.

Referring to Figure 22, the gripper rolls 40, 40 have reached the feeding station, their clamps 50, 50' being open and having released the bag B1. The creasing blade is completely retracted and the dart 68 is at the feeding station. The bag B1 is about to be discharged by the feed rolls 30, 30 which are still in their reverse movement and has entered the drive rolls 23, 23" to be discharged from the machine. Meanwhile, the bag B2 has been picked up by the member 10 and driven by the drive rolls 23, 23' so that its front end is approaching the feed rolls 30, 30.

In the next immediate step, shown in Figure 23, and corresponding to the position of Figure 2, the bag Bl has been discharged and the bag B2 picked up by the feed rolls 30, 30' which have immediately reversed from their reverse movement and are now in their forward movement. It will be recalled that the movement of the pickup 10 and the drive rolls 23, 23 is correlated with that of the feed rolls 30, 30' so that the front end of a bag will reach the feed rolls 30, 30' substantially at or just mantel prior to their reversal from discharge to feeding movement. During this time, the gripper rolls 40, 40 and dart 68 remain stationary at the feeding station, the clamps 50, 50 remaining open.

The feed rolls 30, 30 feed the bag B2 forwardly to the feeding station between the gripper rolls 40, 40 where the dart 68 spreads the folds of the bag to guide its edges into the clamps 50, 50. The gripper roll drive is coordinated with the feed roll drive through the main shaft 3, so that the gripper rolls 40, 40' start to move forwardly immediately upon the feeding of the bag to the clamps 50, 50 at the feeding station. As soon as the gripper rolls 40, 40' start their forward movement, the dart 68 is rapidly retracted and the clamps 50, 54) are immediately closed, as shown in Figure 24, where the bag B2 is being spread as it is moved from the feeding station to the sleeving station. Meanwhile, the bag B1 is being discharged by the drive rolls 23, 23" and another bag B3 has been placed by the operator on the feed table 7 and is awaiting the pickup 10.

As soon as the bag B2 is moved to the sleeving station, both the feed rolls 30, 30 and the griper rolls 40, 40 stop and remain stationary during the sleeving operation. as shown in Figure 25. The dart 68 and creasing blade 142 are completely retracted. At this time, the preceding bag B1 is discharged from the drive rolls 23, 23 and the succeeding bag B3 is about to be picked up by the member 10. Assoon as the sleeving operation is completed, the cycle is repeated, starting with the operation shown in Figure 20.

During the time that a bag is being removed from and another bag fed to the sleeving station (Figures 21-24), the sleeve forming mechanism (Figures 11, 26 and 27) is being operated. While the bag is at the sleeving station (Figures 25 and 20), the sleeve applying mechanism (Figures 2630) is being operated.

Referring now to Figure 11, the sleeves are formed from a strip S that is supplied from a roll R. The strip S is guided across the platen rollers 84 which support the strip in a vertical plane for the reception of a vertical strip of paste P transverse the sleeve strip. The paste is applied by one of the Wipers 86 carried by the roll 87. The wiper 86 contacts the sleeve strip at a point midway between the platen rollers 84, so that the sleeve strip can give between the platen rollers 84 and prevent an excess of paste. The strip of paste P is preferably about one eighth of an inch in width.

From the platen rollers 84, the pasted sleeve strip S passes around the draw roll 85 and between this roll and the resiliently supported draw roll 85. One of the longitudinal grooves 104 in the draw roll 85 straddles the paste P as the strip S passes around the draw roll, so that the paste is not smeared. As the strip S passes between the draw rolls 85, 85' the blade 123 of the roll 85 presses the center of the strip into the annular groove 122 v of the roll 85 to score a creasing line C longitudinally of the strip S.

From the draw rolls 85, 85 the creased and pasted sleeve strip S passes through the cutting station 126 to the sleeving station behind the gripper pads 138 and against the folding blade 133 in front of the gripper rolls 40, 40', as best shown in Figures ll, 26 and 27. An individual sleeve S is cut from the end of the sleeve strip S, applied to the valve V of a bag at the sleeving station, and then the bag with the sleeve is withdrawn. The sleeve strip S is advanced intermittently during the movement of the bags from and to the sleeving station.

Upon the withdrawal of a bag from the sleeving station by the feed roll 30, 30' and gripper rolls 40, 40 and the retraction of the creasing blade 142 (Figure 22), the leading edge E of the sleeve strip S is advanced from the cutting station 126 toward the sleeving station. As the strip S advances, the end B passes behind the gripper pads 138 which are open, as shown in Figure 26. The end advances until its edge E substantially coincides with the edge of the folding blade 133, as shown in Figure 27. At this position, the advancement of the strip S stops as it is at the sleeving station.

When the strip S reaches the sleeving station, the gripper pads 138 are closed and the cutting blade 128 is moved through the cutting station 126 by the solenoid 156 to sever the individual sleeve S from the sleeve strip S, as shown in Figure 27. It should be noted that the sleeve strip is cut by the blade 128 immediately in front of the paste strip P, so that the paste P is adjacent the edge E, as shown in Figunes 26 and 27. Furthermore, the cutting blades 127, 128 are inclined so that the end edges E and E are at an inclination rather than perpendicular to the longitudinal edges of the sleeve S.

Substantially simultaneous with the cutting of the sleeve S (Figure 27), a bag is moved to the sleeving station (Figure 25). When the bag is at the sleeving station with its valve V flattened, as shown in Figure 8, and a sleeve is at the sleeving station, the sleeve S is directly in front of the valve V, as best shown in Figures 11 and 17, with the leading edge E of the sleeve S extending beyond the edge of the valve V. The edge E of the sleeve S substantially coincides with the outer edge of the folding blade 133, as shown in Figure 27, whereas the edge of the valve V substantially coincides with the inner edge of the folding blade 133, indicated in broken lines.

As soon as the valve V is spread and the sleeve S is positioned at the sleeving station (Figure 27), the shaft is rotated to revolve the folding blade 133 which folds the edge portion E of the sleeve S around the edge of the valve V and lightly presses it against the rear surface of the valve, as shown in Figure 28. The paste P is on the folded edge portion E so that the fold is secured to the rear or underside of the valve V.

The shaft 135 is then reversed and the blade 133 revolved back to its original position, the fold E remaining folded an secured to the underside of the valve V, as shown in Figures 29 and 11. Simultaneous with the return of the folding blade 133, the gripping pads 138 are swung to open position to release the sleeve S (Figures 29 and 11).

The creasing blade 142 is then advanced from its retracted position (Figures 25 and 11) to initiate the folding of the sleeve S and valve V, as shown in Figures 20 and 30, the creasing blade 142 engaging the sleeve 8' along the scored creasing line C to push the sleeve S from the open gripper pads 138. Simultaneous with the advance of the creasing blade 142, the gripper rolls 40, 40 start their reverse movement (Figures 2l and 30) to withdraw the bag B.

Of course, as the bag is withdrawn and discharged (Figures 21 and 22) the folds of the valve V and sleeve S are smoothed by the opposed rollers 191, 191' and rolls 195, 195, so that the discharged bag appears as shown in Figure 31. It will be noted that the inclined end edge E of the folded sleeve S provides a flap F on one side of the sleeve which protrudes beyond the end edge of the other sid of the sleeve. This flap F facilitates opening the end of the sleeve for filling when the sleeve and bag are closed, as by stitching along the dotted line L.

It will be noted that the parts in Figures 26 through 30 are exploded in comparison to their actual positions as shown in Figures 14 through 16, in order to preclude interference in illustrating the function and operation of the various parts. Moreover, although the adhesive employed for forming the strip P is referred to as paste, it will be understood that any suitable or desired adhesive, such as glue or cement, may be employed. Furthermore, although the gripper rolls 40, 40' are shown as complete rolls or wheels, in actual practice it may be preferable to employ substantially semi-circular or half wheels to save material and decrease weight as well as partially eliminating inertia in the starting and stopping of the rolls.

Various modifications of the different elements of the machine may be incorporated to effect desired results, depending upon the conditions encountered, such as the timing of the movements, the weight and size of the bags and the quality of the paper employed in both the bags and the sleeve strips. For instance, in order to vary the timing of the feed rolls 30, 30 and the gripper rolls 40, 40', the cam grooves 46 and the earns 37 and 37 may be varied in size and contour. Obviously, however, this would entail a great deal of work and require several sets of cams having different cam grooves therein. In order to readily facilitate the adjustment of the timing of the feed and gripper rolls, the earns 37 and 37 may be modified and/or the rack bars 35, 35 may also be modified.

Referring now to Figures 34 and 35, a modification of the cams is shown as comprising two coinciding and mating discs 37a and 37b. The disc 37b is fixed on the 

